Alone Together
by Heroes Fly-Minho's Hero Limps
Summary: Tadashi is the sweet, always-helpful college student. Hiro is the clever, troublemaking, illegal bot fighter. What kind of crazy things will happen when these two meet? (a little story I decided to try and write, where Hiro and Tadashi are NOT brothers, and Hiro's a little older than he is in the movie XD Rating may change later)
1. Chapter 1

All right, well, I never intended to write a story like this one, because I never really supported this pairing. But I read a couple fanfics on here with these two as a couple and decided to wing it and see what happens. I've enjoyed writing this a lot more than I thought I would and now I love this little story. I hope you guys like it too! Reviews are very appreciated. If you do leave one, let me know what you liked in this chapter.

That's all from me! Enjoy the story!

Alone Together

1

It all began, well, at night. Tadashi was making his way down the sidewalk to the cafe Aunt Cass owned, with his book bag slung over one shoulder. Inside, there were a couple of baking supplies Aunt Cass had forgotten to pick up earlier that day. It wasn't too far of a walk for him and he was happy to be out. It was a beautiful night, the stars shining like diamonds against the velvety blackness of the sky. The air was clear and cool. The golden light from the street lamps spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of him. He nearly smiled. It was a perfect night to be out in a city like San Fransokyo. He wondered if he should call Fred and Wasabi, see if they'd want to do something later.

He turned onto another street, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. The street was to his left, a line of towering buildings and alleyways to his right. He was just passing one of these shadowed alleys when he heard...something. He paused, tipping his head to one side to listen. He'd never heard anything like it. It sounded like distant shouts and crashes, very muffled from where he was. It seemed to be coming from the alleyway right next to him. Intrigued, he glanced cautiously back out at the sidewalk before ducking into the alley.

As he walked silently between the looming buildings, the noises grew louder. They were the sounds of excited, raised voices, the clang and clashing of metal on metal, and the skid of feet on pavement. It only made him more curious. What could this be? He was close to the end of the alley by now. He could see a parking lot at the end of it, lit by the glow of several street lamps and the lights of the city. A cluster of people were cheering and fighting for space, looking at something he couldn't see. Without thinking, he darted from the alley and stood just outside the crowd. He paused, uncertain. Then, with a deep breath, he pushed his way into the crowd to see what in the world was so exciting.

And there in front of him, in all its illegal glory, was a bot fight.

Tadashi stared. He'd never seen a real bot fight before, only heard about them. From what he'd heard, this was not your typical bot fight.

The man fighting on the right was a huge, hulking guy. His ripped black T-shirt showed off bulging muscles, his massive bald head gleaming with sweat. His eyes appeared to be black, obsidian-black, and his thumbs pounded frantically at the controller in his thick fingers. He was tense, focused entirely on the battle, and obviously bent on winning. Tadashi looked to see what poor sucker was facing this guy. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

The guy sitting across from Bald-Guy had to be no more than fifteen years old. He was a lanky kid in a jacket with a ruffled mess of dark hair. He sat cross-legged, controller held lazily in his hands. From the bored look on his face, Tadashi guessed that this kid had been through this whole thing before. But HOW? He was so...so...YOUNG. How could he possibly hold his own against Bald-Guy? That was when Tadashi finally turned his attention to the actual bot fight. And he was shocked again.

Bald-Guy's robot was like him: bulky, thick, and powerful. It had broad shoulders of crimson metal and wide feet. One hand was curled into a fist, the other a blurring mass of steel; a drill. The bot's eyes gleamed yellow. It hurled itself at the kid's bot, a tiny thing of sleek black. Tadashi watched as the kid's robot threw itself deftly to the side, avoiding that dangerous drill, and rearranged its magnetic limbs. Faster than lightning, it snaked up Bald-Guy's bot. Tadashi's eyes widened as he saw the kid's robot wind itself around its opponent's neck, tightening until, with a final shudder, the other bot's head burst off in a shower of sparks. The fallen bot collapsed to the pavement with a metallic groan. Bald-Guy's jaw dropped. The crowd went wild.

Tadashi looked at the kid with new respect. The winner was clambering to his feet now, stuffing his controller back in his pocket. A triumphant smirk tugged at his mouth. "Well, that was fun guys," he said airily, "but now, I think you owe me some money."

Tadashi's respect dwindled a bit. They were betting? Didn't this kid know how dangerous that was? He shifted his feet anxiously, considering calling the police, as he should.

Bald-Guy clenched his jaw in barely-restrained anger. He climbed to his feet, black boots stomping loudly, and threw his controller to the ground. He jabbed a finger at the kid. "You little rat," he snarled. "You told me this was your first bot fight!"

The kid raised a finger to correct him. "It is, actually," he replied easily. "It's my first EVER bot fight fought in THIS parking lot."

Bald-Guy looked as though he was wondering how long it would take to strangle this brat. "Hustler!" he accused. The crowd let out a collective grumble of disapproval, directed at the kid. "I'm the best bot fighter around here. And I am not about to be beaten by some no-good, ten-year-old hustler!"

The kid cleared his throat. "Um, actually, I'm sixteen."

"You're dead." Bald-Guy started for the kid, his arms like steel bands at his sides. The kid's eyes widened, showing the first signs of real fear. He took a hasty step back.

Tadashi immediately tossed aside all thoughts of calling the police at the moment, for two reasons. First, he couldn't imagine getting this spunky, intelligent kid arrested. Second, he had to stop this from happening. Without a thought, he stepped smoothly between the two bot fighters. The crowd gasped. Bald-Guy halted, confusion and rage written across his scarred face. "Who the heck are you?" he demanded.

"Rin," he answered, putting as much confidence into his voice as he could. He felt it was better to not say his real name to these people. "Nice to meet you, Mr...?"

"Get outta my way, Rin," Bald-Guy growled. "I gotta teach this brat a lesson."

"Brat? What brat?" Tadashi feigned confusion, glancing over his shoulder at the kid behind him. He met the kid's eyes, autumn-brown eyes that gazed up at him in puzzled hope. "I'll get you out of here," he whispered. "Okay?" The kid nodded. Tadashi turned back to Bald-Guy. "Oh, you mean this brat?"

"That's the one," Bald-Guy grumbled, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"Well, that's a shame because I just came here to take him home," Tadashi replied. "You see, we're...brothers." Oh god, what was he doing?

"Brothers?" Bald-Guy scanned Tadashi once, taking in the neat, spiked hair and broad shoulders.

"Yes, brothers," Tadashi confirmed brightly. "He's been sneaking out every night lately, you know, getting into trouble. You can't blame him for trying to get some money for himself, now can you? I mean, he's only a kid, right? Kids are stupid sometimes." He put extra emphasis on the word "stupid," shooting a pointed look at the kid over his shoulder. The kid snorted and simply flashed Tadashi his victor's smirk.

Bald-Guy still looked royally ticked, but impossibly, he was backing down a bit. "Yeah, well, he MUST be stupid if he thinks he can get away with taking my money."

"He took your money? Oh that doesn't sound like..." He realized he didn't know the kid's name. "...him at all," he finished lamely. "But if it was an unfair match, he would be happy to pay you back. Right?" He glared at the kid.

The kid looked first at Bald-Guy in contempt, then his bored half-closed eyes trailed over Tadashi. For some reason, Tadashi felt a little flutter in his stomach. "Yeah," the kid finally said tightly. "I'd be happy to pay the bald loser back." He drew an impressive stack of bills out of his pocket.

Bald-Guy snarled in anger. Tadashi took the money from the kid. "Are you trying to get killed?" he hissed in frustration.

The kid showed him a lopsided grin. "I could ask you the same thing, Rin."

Fair enough. Tadashi turned and took a breath to say something when suddenly, the air was filled with the scream of sirens. Blue-and-red light flickered between buildings. The crowd around the bot fighters began to scatter, crying out for their friends and splitting up before the cops caught them. Someone must've finally snapped and called the police. Bald-Guy's eyes went round. Tadashi saw his chance.

"Well, it's been great meeting you!" he said cheerily. "But as you can imagine, we have other places to be right now. See ya!" He practically threw the money at Bald-Guy, who scrambled to catch it. Then he quickly spun around and grabbed the kid by the arm. "Let's go, kid!" He took off down the alley again, dragging the kid behind him. They ran as fast as they could through the darkness. Neither of them was willing to stay and face Bald-Guy, or worse, the cops. While he ran, Tadashi couldn't help but scold his "brother." "Ok, I don't know who you are, but WHAT were you DOING? Betting on bot fights is illegal! You're lucky I was there and decided to stop that guy from smearing you across the pavement!"

"Yeah, right after you gave him my money!" the kid responded in annoyance. "I made a lot tonight!"

"Because you hustled! That's dangerous!"

"So happy you care, big brother. I'll keep that in mind next time."

"You'd better."

"Whatever. It's not like you know me anyway."

They finally skidded to a halt back out on the sidewalk, safe from anyone who might've been looking for them. Tadashi bent forward, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He glanced sideways at the kid, who was examining his magnetic bot with careful eyes. Tadashi shook his head in hopelessness. This kid was going to get himself killed if he didn't stop bot fighting. But who was he to stop him? The guy was right. Tadashi didn't know anything about him. Sighing, he straightened up again and looked down at the kid with a rueful smile.

"I'm not gonna be able to change your mind, am I?" he asked.

The kid didn't look up from his bot. "Nope!" he answered, uncaring. "Sorry, Rin."

Tadashi blinked. "What? Oh. Uh, my name's not really Rin." The kid looked up at him expectantly. "It's Tadashi."

"Tadashi," the kid echoed. His voice made Tadashi's name sound...different, in a way he hadn't expected. Then the kid smiled crookedly and met Tadashi's gaze with his warm brown eyes, and said the name that would change Tadashi's whole world. "My name's Hiro."

Hiro. It seemed to be the perfect name for the bold bot fighter in front of him. He found himself smiling again. "Hiro, huh? Do you live around here, or do you always go around looking for bot fights?"

"Yes, and yes," Hiro replied. He bobbed his head toward the street that led away from the cafe. "I live down at Lucille's. You have to know where that is. Everybody does, it's so freaking huge."

At first, Tadashi's had no idea what Hiro meant. How was he supposed to know who Lucille was? Then it clicked in his mind, the image of a wide building he'd passed many times, with constantly-lit windows and a wide, inviting porch. And the sign above the door that said... "You live in Lucille's Home for Orphaned Children?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yup! Been there all my life. Well, technically, since I was three."

Tadashi didn't know what to think. "You're an orphan?"

"Yeah," Hiro answered, seemingly indifferent.

Tadashi could only stare down at him, his heart sinking. It was just a shame, really, that someone like Hiro had been an orphan for thirteen years. No one had adopted him. No one wanted him. Tadashi had only known him for a short time and already the thought of Hiro living without a family, without anyone who loved him, broke Tadashi's heart. He had a sudden, inexplicable longing to help Hiro, in any way he could.

"So you've...you've been waiting to be adopted all this time?" Tadashi asked.

"It's not that bad," Hiro replied, scratching his head and mussing his already-wild hair. "After a while, you get used to it. I'm probably not going to be adopted anyway."

"Why not?" Tadashi asked.

Hiro shrugged. "I'm sixteen now and I'll be seventeen soon. Parents like to take younger kids."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Nah. If I were adopted, I'd probably get stuck with some crazy people who would make me stop bot fighting."

"Yeah, about that..." Tadashi narrowed his eyes, thinking. "How're you even smart enough to know how to build a robot like that?"

"Well, for starters, I'm not an idiot," Hiro replied. "And I graduated high school when I was thirteen."

At first, Tadashi thought that he had to be joking. "You WHAT?"

"That's right. You're in the presence of a genius."

Tadashi had no reply to this. Something else was slowly beginning to form in his mind. It was as though he was happy and sad at the same time; happy because he had stumbled onto the bravest, smartest guy in San Fransokyo, but sad because he'd found out that Hiro was an orphan. He wanted so badly to give this guy a family.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Tadashi," Hiro chirped, finally glancing up from his robot. "Even though you did kinda crash a bot fight right before the cops showed up. A shame, really. I always did like seeing the losers get arrested before I left. Maybe next time."

"Wait, next time?" Tadashi suddenly felt a painful tug in his heart. Hiro was leaving now?

"Gotta keep my reputation as Master Bot Fighter," Hiro explained teasingly. "There'll always be more fights out there. But not tonight. I'm gonna be so late. Lucille will probably throw a fit." He leaned toward Tadashi as if to share a secret, making the other boy stiffen when their arms almost brushed. "She's not the most understanding person when it comes to hobbies with robots. And alleys at night."

Tadashi lifted an eyebrow and grinned jokingly. "Don't forget guys who crash bot fights," he added.

"That too." Hiro shrugged with one shoulder, that wonderfully crooked smirk curving his mouth once more. He raised a hand in farewell, beginning to back away. "See ya, later, Tadashi. Try not to get yourself killed or arrested next time you're out here, okay?"

Tadashi waved back, the longing in his being almost unbearable. "I'll do my best. See ya, Hiro."


	2. Chapter 2

2

He had to see him again.

It was not a want. It was a need. Tadashi needed to see Hiro again the way he needed air.

He couldn't explain it. It was only a day after he'd met Hiro and already, he was filled with so much warmth when he thought of him. He had no idea what Aunt Cass would think if he told her. She would go absolutely crazy, he was sure. He'd never shown in interest in ANYONE before, not in a romantic way. But this feeling he experienced with Hiro... It had to mean something. Perhaps not love, not yet, but attraction. A crush. He had a crush on an orphaned, illegal bot fighter. Lovely, indeed. Aunt Cass might not like the whole ILLEGAL part of that. But one look at Hiro's glowing brown eyes and that troublemaker's smirk would have her squealing with joy.

"Whatcha staring at, honey?" Aunt Cass's voice snapped Tadashi out of his thoughts. He straightened up and glanced around. He'd been leaning against the counter of the cafe, watching the customers eat and talk through unseeing eyes. How long he'd been daydreaming, he didn't know.

This was the most coherent answer he could come up with: "...huh?"

Aunt Cass was smiling knowingly already. "You've been staring off into space for the past half hour," she accused, pointing at him in amusement. "What're you thinking about? WHO are you thinking about?"

"Why do you always assume I'm thinking about some crush I have?" he asked, to keep from answering.

"Because I want you to have one already," she replied. She stuck her bottom lip out in a mock pout. "You're always with your robots and I think that's great, really I do, but... I'm old now and I need to live through you and I just love romance!"

Tadashi snorted. "Aunt Cass, you're hardly OLD."

"That's besides the point," she brushed his words away. Then she rested her elbows on the counter, smiling up at him. "Now...who is it?"

"No one," he replied. But he wasn't a very good liar and his eyes slid nervously away from her face.

"You're an awful liar," she informed him with an amused glint in her gaze. "Now, please, tell me, Tadashi. Please?" She waited for a few moments. Then she pushed off from the counter again and held her hands out as though proposing an idea to him. "Okay, how about this? Tell me how old this crush of yours is. Because I KNOW you have a crush."

Tadashi shook his head. But a half-smile worked its way onto his face and he gave in. "Sixteen," he answered. He received an elated jump from Aunt Cass in return.

"Yes, I knew it! All right, um...girl? Boy?"

"He's a guy."

"Tall or short?"

"Short."

"Name?"

Tadashi blushed stupidly. "Hiro."

"How SWEET! Is he cute?"

"I mean, I think he's—" Tadashi broke off as the door of the cafe suddenly swung open as it often did on a busy day like this. Normally, he wouldn't have been caught off-guard. But then he saw the person walking in. "...right here," he finished his sentence in a murmur. Because, yes, there was Hiro, stepping into the cafe with his hands shoved in his pockets. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt, with his navy jacket. His hair was as rakish as always, and in the daylight Tadashi could see that it was a deep shade of brown, nearly black.

Aunt Cass was practically bouncing with excitement. "Is that him? That boy who just came in?"

Tadashi sighed in resignation. "Yeah, that's him."

"Oh my gosh, Tadashi, he's absolutely adorable," she whispered happily. She kept her voice down because by now, Hiro had crossed the cafe and was almost right in front of them.

"Oh brother," Tadashi muttered under his breath.

Aunt Cass beamed at Hiro as soon as he was within speaking distance. Her kind gaze scanned the boy with obvious delight. "Hello!" she greeted joyfully. "How may I help you?"

Hiro hadn't missed the fact that Tadashi was here; recognition had flickered in his expression as soon as he'd walked through the door. But he ignored the other boy for now, looking up at Aunt Cass. "Hi," he said politely. "I'll just have a doughnut, please."

"Of course, of course!" Aunt Cass was overjoyed. "Coming right up! My, you are so polite, dear," she added kindly.

"Thanks." Hiro waited until Aunt Cass had turned away before his gaze flitted questioningly to Tadashi. Tadashi lifted one shoulder in a shrug. Hiro's mouth quirked, like he was holding back a laugh. He was enjoying this way too much.

Aunt Cass returned to the counter with the doughnut wrapped up for Hiro. She placed it in front of him and he paid. But before he left, she couldn't keep herself from speaking again. "So, um, I've heard that you might've met my nephew? Tadashi?" She gestured to Tadashi, hope in her face.

Tadashi was pretty sure his aunt lost all her sanity when Hiro showed his sweet, dazzling smile. "Yeah, I have, actually," he answered. "He got me out of a tough situation last night."

"Oh really?" Aunt Cass asked, intrigued.

"Uh-huh," Hiro relied. He didn't go into details though. It was better if Aunt Cass didn't know about the bot fights right now. "My name's Hiro."

"Oh it's lovely to meet you, Hiro," Aunt Cass gushed. "Just call me Cass, or Aunt Cass, or whatever you want, okay?"

Tadashi drew a hand over his face in embarrassment. Hiro didn't even know that Tadashi liked him yet! "Aunt Cass," he groaned quietly.

"Oh, sorry," she said quickly, realizing that she was doing all of this in front of her nephew. "It's just...oh, you are so cute!" She clasped her hands together and gazed at Hiro with admiring eyes. Then she spun away to retrieve something from a shelf, and to give Tadashi a break from her chatter.

While her back was turned again, Hiro met Tadashi's eyes and mouthed the word "cute?" silently. Tadashi rolled his eyes in reply. Then his heart stopped as Hiro actually winked at him teasingly. The look on his face must've said it all because Hiro's roguish grin appeared again.

"So the Crasher of Bot Fights lives here?" Hiro asked, lowering his voice and sidling along the counter until he was directly in front of Tadashi. The knowing gleam in his eyes never faded. He'd probably guessed that something was up; maybe he even knew that Tadashi liked him. But if he did, it didn't seem to bother him at all.

Tadashi folded his arms and leaned forward with his elbows against the counter, mirroring Hiro's position. They looked like a couple of teenagers sharing a great secret together. "Yeah, I live here. And work here. Along with my Aunt Cass," he added, jerking his head toward where Aunt Cass was attempting to eavesdrop without them noticing.

"She seems really nice," Hiro remarked. Then he glanced around at the warm, inviting room and the glass display cases. "You're lucky."

"What do you mean?" Tadashi thought that Hiro might finally be admitting that he wanted a family and a home, like him.

"You get unlimited doughnuts on a daily basis," Hiro replied.

"Oh yeah." Tadashi grinned. "That is kinda awesome."

"I bet." Hiro tipped his head to one side, a thoughtful look on his face. "So, I already told you that I graduated high school, but what about you? Still in school?"

"College, actually," Tadashi answered.

Hiro's eyebrows rose. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen. I'm a freshman."

"Eighteen," Hiro echoed. Tadashi wondered if he was thinking about that two-year gap between them and whether or not it mattered. "Cool. Studying anything that's NOT completely boring?"

"I'm working on a robotics project right now," Tadashi said, not thinking anything of it.

Hiro's face lit up. "No way."

"You're not the only one smart enough to build a robot around here," Tadashi joked. Inside, he was glowing with warmth. The happiness in Hiro's expression was priceless.

Suddenly, Aunt Cass darted over and grabbed him by the shoulders, making him jump. "Tadashi, you should show him Baymax!" she exclaimed gleefully.

"Baymax?" Hiro blinked in puzzlement.

"Aunt Cass, I don't know..." Tadashi trailed off, embarrassed and shifting his feet. He wasn't sure if Baymax, his latest project, would spark any interest in Hiro. Hiro liked battle bots, after all, not...health care robots.

"Oh, come on!" Aunt Cass urged. She turned to Hiro. "You like robots, don't you, Hiro?"

"Definitely," Hiro replied, with feeling.

"Then what's the problem?" she demanded Tadashi eagerly.

"There is no problem!" he defended himself. "But—"

"Great! It all works out then." Aunt Cass began to steer him toward the back of the cafe, where a set of stairs led up to the second level and his room. "You don't have to be anywhere important anytime soon, do you, Hiro?" she asked.

"Nope!" Hiro sauntered around the counter to stand with them, taking a bite of his doughnut.

"Perfect!" Aunt Cass gave Tadashi a gentle push toward the stairs. "Tadashi, you HAVE to show him! I won't take no for an answer."

Tadashi threw his hands up in resignation. "Okay, okay!" he laughed.

"Good! Have fun, don't break anything!" With that, Aunt Cass whirled away again, smiling at Hiro as she passed. There was no stopping that woman once she made up her mind.

Tadashi gestured at the stairway. "You really wanna see Baymax?" he asked.

"Heck yeah," Hiro replied, bounding up the first three steps and twisting to look at Tadashi. "I gotta see what kind of robots a college nerd like you makes."

"Whatever," Tadashi chuckled. He playfully pushed past the younger boy and started up the stairs first. Hiro was close on his heels the whole way up.

As soon as they turned into Tadashi's room, he felt his heartbeat speed up. He hoped that Hiro liked Baymax as much as he liked his battle bots. It was almost ridiculous, how much he longed for this boy's approval. Hiro had already shown Tadashi what he could do in a bot fight; now Tadashi wanted to show off his own work.

Tadashi's room was, of course, neat, because everything about Tadashi was neat. At one side of the room, his bed was made and next to that, his bedside table held only a lamp and a single book. Against the opposite wall was a dark bookshelf filled with books on robotics and programming. And at the far side of the room were two desks pushed together. One displayed a large computer screen and keyboard and the other was used for repairs, and had a toolbox resting on top.

Hiro was looking around at everything as Tadashi crossed the room to where a red metal box sat up against the wall. The box was fairly large, with a curious design across the front that suggested the way it opened. He snagged a little controller from his desk and held it patiently while he waited for Hiro to notice. Hiro met Tadashi's anxious gaze, then his eyes dropped to the box. He wrinkled his nose. "Is THAT Baymax?" he asked, surprised and disappointed.

"Of course not," Tadashi scoffed good-humoredly. He pressed a button on his controller. "This is."

A soft wheezing sound filled the room as the box slid open and Baymax inflated to his full height. He was a tall, plushy robot with air and snow-white vinyl covering his rock-hard skeleton. He resembled a marshmallow with legs and arms, and a fat snowball for a head. His eyes were two high-powered cameras that blinked just as real eyes would on a human. On his chest was a circular container for his data chips. He took a tiny step out of the box, his charging station, and swung his head from Tadashi to Hiro. Sensing the newcomer, he carefully shuffled around the bed to stand in front of Hiro. His arm rose and he gave a friendly little wave. "Hello," he said, in a light, robotic voice. "I am Baymax, your personal, health care companion."

Hiro's face was alive with curiosity and wonder. "You built a health care robot?" he asked, tearing his gaze from Baymax to look at Tadashi.

"Yeah," Tadashi answered sheepishly. "He's my final project. But I don't want him to be used just for school, you know? He could help a lot of people."

Hiro nodded absently; he was now circling Baymax, scanning the robot with practiced eyes. Baymax tried to spin to the side to follow Hiro's movements, but eventually, he just stood in place and let the boy study him. Hiro came back around to where he'd started and squinted up into Baymax's face. "Nice cameras," he remarked. "Hyper-spectral?"

"Uh-huh," Tadashi answered, pleased.

"Sweet." Hiro then studied Baymax's stomach, leaning in close to see better through the vinyl. "Carbon fiber skeleton. Huh. How much can he lift?"

"A thousand pounds."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all."

"That's awesome." Hiro's soulful brown eyes were alight and his enraptured expression told Tadashi that he loved everything about Baymax.

"Thanks," Tadashi said, tugging shyly at the brim of his baseball cap. He glanced again at Hiro and felt a blush making its way onto his face. Never before had he been so happy to show someone else his creation.

Baymax gazed down at Hiro attentively. "My sensors indicate that you are in good health," he informed. "Except for a minor injury on your right shoulder blade."

Hiro froze in the act of taking another bite of his doughnut. From across the room, his eyes locked with Tadashi's. For a second, Tadashi thought he saw a shadow pass over Hiro's face. Then it was gone and he was back to his usual, confident self. "Yeah, I slipped on the last stair back at Lucille's," he explained, unconcerned. He wouldn't meet Tadashi's gaze again. "Fell backwards and hit my shoulder." He patted Baymax's belly affectionately. "Nice job catching that, buddy."

"I cannot deactivate until you say that you are satisfied with my care," Baymax said in return.

Hiro had a mouthful of doughnut so Tadashi answered for him. "We're satisfied with our care, Baymax," he told the robot. "You can deactivate now."

Baymax turned around and headed back to his charging station. The way he walked was almost amusing, with his funny, squishy feet squeaking together. Tadashi shook his head in mock hopelessness, but he loved Baymax, even when the robot was a bit comical at times.

Hiro finished the last of the doughnut and wandered over to Tadashi's bookshelf. "He's pretty advanced," he told Tadashi, nodding toward Baymax, who was slowly deflating again. "Those scanners don't miss anything. And I'm guessing you chose a vinyl covering because...you like marshmallows?" He shot a sideways glance at Tadashi, the side of his mouth turning up playfully.

"Yes, that's exactly why," Tadashi laughed, warmth blossoming inside of him.

"I knew it." Hiro examined the spines of Tadashi's books. "So you're not just a Crasher of Bot Fights, you're also the Inventor of Talking Marshmallows. I like it."

"Of course." Tadashi dropped down onto his bed, propping his elbows up on his knees. He watched Hiro reading the different titles of the books and something about it made his heart swell with fondness. Maybe it was how Hiro's head tipped to one side as he read or the way his hair fell down into his eyes. It didn't matter. Tadashi was completely caught in everything the other boy did. "So what's it like over at Lucille's?" he asked, to keep the conversation going.

"It's, um...interesting," Hiro answered as he read. "Sometimes a little crazy too."

"Really?" Tadashi asked. A crazy orphanage?

"Oh yeah," Hiro replied, his voice warming at some private memory. "There's a lot of different kids over there. You got the shy ones that won't talk to you, and the mean ones you have to stay away from, and the weird ones that you just can't figure out." Then he looked over his shoulder and stole Tadashi's breath with his signature smirk. "I'm the troublemaker."

"I kinda guessed that when you almost got arrested yesterday," Tadashi told him.

"Hey, don't judge me," Hiro protested, pointing at him in mock annoyance. "You were there too, remember, and were almost arrested with me."

Tadashi lifted his hands briefly in an innocent gesture. "I've blocked that from my mind, okay? Trust me, getting busted at a bot fight was the last thing I wanted to do last night."

"I can believe that," Hiro chuckled. He left the bookshelf and threw himself back onto the bed beside Tadashi, dangling his feet over the side. Their shoulders brushed slightly, making Tadashi's stomach fill with butterflies. "You don't seem like the kind of guy to be hanging around those parts of the city," he went on.

Tadashi cocked his head. "And why do you say that?" he asked.

"You know, you're..." Hiro's eyes traveled over Tadashi. He cleared his throat. "You're, uh, NOT a criminal."

"Gee, thanks."

At that moment, they were interrupted by a strange buzzing sound. At first, Tadashi thought it was his cell phone vibrating, but he soon realized he was wrong when Hiro fished his own phone out of his pocket. The younger teen tapped something on the screen and read it for a second. Whatever it was, it caused a new energy in him. He hopped off the bed. "Whelp! Looks like I do have somewhere to be after all," he remarked cheerfully. "Just gotta message about a last-minute bot fight getting started. Better go protect my title." He stuck his phone back in his pocket and, much to Tadashi's delight, patted Tadashi's shoulder in farewell. "I'll see you later, nerd."

Tadashi watched Hiro hurry toward the doorway. A sudden, helpless feeling to be with Hiro just a while longer overwhelmed him. Abruptly, he left his bed and reached for his one jacket, a black leather one that GoGo had bought him for his birthday one year (and which he never wore because, well, he was Tadashi. He didn't go around wearing leather jackets on a daily basis). "Hey, wait!" he called, pulling the jacket over his shoulders as he jogged after Hiro. "Maybe I can come with you?"

Hiro halted at the doorway. "You wanna come with me to a bot fight again?" he asked disbelievingly. Then his voice turned mocking. "Didn't you know those fights are ILLEGAL?"

"Only if you bet on them," Tadashi reminded him.

"Which I plan on doing," Hiro told him pointedly.

Tadashi huffed a resigned breath. "Whatever. Are we going or not?"

Hiro arched an eyebrow. "You gotta ride?" he asked. Tadashi nodded and Hiro grinned eagerly. "All right then. Follow me, nerd. We got a bot fight to go to."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, here is my next chapter! Thank you for leaving a review, if you did. They really made my day :)**

**So, I really loved writing this chapter. Writing in Hiro's point of view is a lot of fun. It's pretty much my favorite in this story so far XD (not that there's too many to choose from yet) I hope you enjoy it!**

**3**

This was going to be FUN. That was all that ran through Hiro's mind as he and Tadashi emerged from the cafe into the cool evening air. The sky above was slowly turning orange as the sun crept downwards toward the horizon. The street lamps would be turning on soon and already the glow from the windows of the buildings added a dark, nighttime feeling to the city. It was a charged feeling though, the feeling that anything could happen in the streets of San Fransokyo in the coming night. Hiro loved it.

"That's our ride?" Hiro asked. He was somewhat disappointed when he saw the not-so-impressive scooter waiting for him on the sidewalk. It had seen better years, according to the scratches decorating the red paint. But it was also taken care of; the unbeaten parts of it shone from careful cleaning. What else had he expected from a guy like Tadashi?

"You can always walk, you know," Tadashi pointed out. For all his neatness and concern for safety, he seemed to be ditching a helmet in favor of his ever-present baseball cap. Hiro decided he didn't mind at all. Tadashi looked good standing beneath the city lights in his leather jacket, lifting his cap once to draw a hand over his spiked, chocolate-brown hair.

"I'll pass," Hiro said wryly. Then he rubbed his palms together in anticipation. "We better get going or we'll miss all the fun."

Tadashi rolled his eyes and swung his leg over the seat of the scooter. With one hand on a handlebar, he sat down and waited. "Get on," he ordered with a smile softening his words.

Hiro bounced over and jumped on behind Tadashi. To stay on, he had to press himself against Tadashi's back and circle his arms around the older boy's waist. A tiny shudder traveled through him at the sensation. He took a deep breath to clear his head, which ended up doing the exact opposite as he breathed in Tadashi's clean, minty scent. Inwardly, he ordered himself to get his head in the game. And NOT think about the handsome college freshman he had his arms around. He craned his neck to the side to peer over Tadashi's shoulder. "All right, let's get this show on the road. Our fight's way back inside the old HALO hospital."

Tadashi made a sound that suggested he was choking. "The HALO hospital?" he echoed in a high voice. "People have BOT FIGHTS in there?"

The old HALO hospital was a massive building deeper in San Fransokyo, built by the Health Advancement Leaders' Organization. The well-known organization was responsible for many successful hospitals and health centers in the surrounding cities. However, the old hospital in San Franksokyo had been abandoned after a failed experiment that resulted in some property damage and other...more disturbing things. So the building was left empty when HALO was forced to continue its work elsewhere. There were now constant rumors circulating the streets about the place being haunted and even radioactive. Everybody avoided the place now, which made it the perfect site for a bot fight. Hiro couldn't wait to go.

"What's the matter?" he taunted Tadashi. "Are you scared of ghosts?"

Tadashi twisted to glare back at him and Hiro lifted his chin challengingly. Tadashi sighed and faced forward again, placing both hands on the handlebars. "Hang on," he advised, and revved the engine. With a loud growl, they shot off down the street. The world turned into a blur around them as Tadashi steered with practiced ease. They whipped around a corner and picked up speed, the wind clawing at their clothes.

Hiro let out an exhilarated whoop, his voice echoing off the buildings as they flew by. "Yes!" he exclaimed gleefully. "This is awesome!"

Tadashi's low-pitched laughter vibrated in his back against Hiro's chest, making Hiro's heart stutter. "Fast enough for you?" he asked. Something about the knowing edge in his voice hinted that he knew the effect he had on Hiro.

Hiro set his chin daringly atop Tadashi's shoulder and spoke in his ear. "It depends," he murmured. "How fast can you go?"

Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he felt the scooter swerve a bit beneath them. Tadashi tossed a brief, mischievous half-smile over his shoulder, completely out of place on him. "Let's find out."

The scooter leapt forward with a roar. "Whoa!" Hiro yelped, subconsciously tightening his hold around Tadashi's waist as the scooter ate up the pavement. Now THIS was the way to travel. He could tell that Tadashi had driven the scooter many times before and knew exactly what he was doing. He kept to one side of the road, only slowing when another vehicle drove past. When taking turns, he knew how to whip the scooter around without losing speed. Adrenaline fired into Hiro's veins and he vowed to ride with Tadashi as much as possible. Tipping his head back, he closed his eyes. The chilly air washed over him in an unrelenting wave, blowing his hair back from his face. The electrical feeling of being out on a night like this filled him again.

When he opened his eyes again, they were slowing down and approaching a wide, beaten building ahead. He recognized it instantly. The HALO hospital rose up from its weed-choked parking lot, forbidding and ghostly under the darkling sky. Most of the windows on the upper floors had been shattered or had a spidering of cracks snaking across them. They were all dark. On the right side, the once-pristine white wall had been blown open by some ghastly explosion. It wasn't a massive hole, but it was certainly big enough for a grown man to walk through without ducking. The surrounding wall was blackened from the blast. Hiro could only imagine what could have caused it.

It was from this hole that a golden light spilled out onto the cracked pavement. Tadashi pulled the scooter to a stop outside the fence enclosing the parking lot. He hesitated at the sight of the hospital, but Hiro slid off the scooter as soon as it stopped moving. "All right!" he cried, examining the hospital in appreciation. "I don't know who picked to have a fight here, but they knew what they were doing."

"Ummm..." Tadashi trailed off uneasily. He left the scooter to stand at Hiro's side. "I'm not so sure."

"Oh, come on, you can't back out now," Hiro protested, nudging Tadashi's arm with his elbow. "We just got here."

"And already I want to leave," Tadashi muttered.

Hiro was done waiting. He tugged encouragingly at Tadashi's sleeve. "Let's go!" He set off, ducking through a large hole in the fence and practically dragging Tadashi across the parking lot with him. The hospital seemed to grow bigger as they drew nearer. The light from the explosion's hole intensified the closer they got to it and the sound of raised voices reached them. Hiro hopped through carelessly and Tadashi followed at a much slower pace. Both of them halted when they saw the inside of the hospital for the first time.

They were standing in a lonely hallway, facing one of the walls. To their right, the hall stretched off into blackness. To the left, it only went a short distance before opening into the main lobby. It was in this lobby that a mass of people had formed, most of them dressed in ratty street clothes, all of them shouting and pumping their fists in the air. The noise exploded into life as soon as Hiro stepped into the room. The crowd's voices echoed in the empty room, bouncing off the walls and ceiling. They were occasionally interrupted by the clang of metal and the hum of electricity. A bot fight was well under way. Someone had gotten the electricity working again and bright fluorescent lighting illuminated the shifting mob of people.

Hiro shoved his hand into his pocket to retrieve his controller and to make sure he had money. His slim battle bot was tucked into his belt, where he normally kept it. He took out a few bills and counted to see how much he had. Five bucks. Good enough. Whoever he went against was going to lose anyway. He turned to Tadashi, who was watching the fight with a frightened look on his face. "You look like you're watching a murder," Hiro snorted.

"Shut up," Tadashi returned. The corner of his mouth curled up in amusement. "YOU look like you were just in a war."

"Huh?" Hiro suddenly remembered the wind mussing his hair on the way there and hurriedly raked his hands through it in faint embarrassment.

"It looks exactly the same as usual," Tadashi commented unhelpfully. He hadn't even lost his baseball cap during the ride.

"Ha ha, very funny," Hiro said sarcastically. He elbowed Tadashi in the side again. "Now, come on. This is gonna be good."

The two of them walked into the lobby together. Hiro entered the mass of people first and Tadashi followed at a slower pace. Hiro felt his heartbeat speeding faster and faster the closer he got to the center of the crowd. This was his element, his passion. He was going to fight and win, because he was Hiro and Hiro never lost, not to anyone. Ever since he'd first built his robot, he'd plowed through every fighter that had stood in his path. They all hated him for it, but that only added to how much he loved it, in a strange way. Every other bot fighter ached to the be the one to defeat him, to bring him down after so many victories. He didn't intend to make it easy for them.

Hiro finally pushed to the front of the crowd, just in time to see a twisted hunk of metal hit the ground in front of him with a crash. It had probably been a robot at one point, but it was now reduced to a twitching mess of circuits and sparks. The people erupted into cheers and whoops. Hiro followed everyone's gaze to the winner, a frighteningly tall guy with a shaved head and huge shoulders. The black ink of several tattoos snaked up his powerful arms and disappeared beneath the sleeve of his charcoal-gray T-shirt. He was clearly a strong person, but Hiro was more interested in his robot.

The robot at the guy's feet slammed its fist repeatedly against its open palm in a gesture of victory. It was stocky and strong, with thick limbs and burning crimson eyes. There were no visible weapons of any kind on its smooth, silver steel and its hands curled into gigantic fists. This was a robot built for hand-to-hand combat. A formidable challenge, because without all the fancy weaponry, it had to have a lot of skill to do what it did to the poor remains lying on the floor across from it. Hiro was itching for the challenge.

"That guy's gonna kill us," Tadashi mumbled from behind Hiro. "Especially if you pull the stunt you did last time, saying it was your first bot fight."

Hiro waved the notion away with one hand. "The only reason I did that was because I don't normally go to that area; no one there knew who I was," he explained. "But this is closer to where I go to fight most of the time. I'm not gonna say something stupid and then have one of these idiots recognize me."

"He's still going to kill us if you win," Tadashi insisted. "And from what I saw of your robot, you're going to win."

A silly smile spread across Hiro's face, delighted that Tadashi had faith in his work. "Magnetic-bearing servos," he said, letting his secret out in a hushed voice. "Beats them every time." Tadashi's eyebrows shot up at the mention of such advanced technology. Hiro put a finger to his lips, indicating that Tadashi wasn't to tell anyone. Then he winked, just to make the older teenager blush. It worked and Hiro turned back to the fight, a certain smugness to his movements.

The big guy was standing to his full height, swinging his arms up to rile up the crowd. "Come on!" he boomed, ready for more. "Any of you wimps think you can take me? Come out here and prove it! Let's go!" The people buzzed at his words, but none of them took the challenge. The man swept them all with an icy gaze full of thirst for another battle.

Hiro stuck his hands casually into his pockets and stepped out from the crowd. "I'll take you on," he called out.

The man took one look at him and burst out laughing. His deep laughter shook the roof. "Listen, kid," he said, holding a hand out authoritatively. "Why don't you go on home and leave this kind of thing to the adults, okay? I don't want to drive your little toy bot into the ground and have you running to tattle on us."

"Ohhhh, I get it," Hiro replied, lacing his words with just enough sarcasm. "You're not afraid of being tattled on; you're afraid of being beaten by a KID."

Everyone around him gasped and multiple ooooohs sounded. One person in the back yelled out: "The shrimp's gotta point, Bruce!"

The man, Bruce, narrowed his eyes at Hiro. Hiro knew the guy was trying to figure this out. Why would a "shrimp" like this act cocky in the presence of an experienced bot fighter? "YOU think that you can beat ME," he deadpanned, in total disbelief.

"I know for sure that I can beat you," Hiro flashed back. He thought he heard Tadashi smack himself in the forehead.

Bruce moved his weight to one leg, drawing his fingers thoughtfully over his jaw. "What's your name?" he asked.

Hiro tossed his name out like it was a great secret. "Hiro."

Someone else in the crowd let out a "you have GOT to be kidding me," followed by other murmured comments. So some people knew him here after all. Bruce ignored all of it, however. He studied Hiro for several long moments. Then he took a breath and clapped his hands together once. "All right then! You wanna fight? Let's fight. Get your bot in the ring and we'll get started."

Hiro pulled out his robot and set it down carefully before him. It slumped forward stupidly, its limbs limp and its painted face smiling dopily. Bruce shook his head as he dug out a couple bills from his wallet. He lifted the money up to show Hiro. "Three hundred," he said, and another gasp split the air. "I'll make it quick, kid. Who knows, maybe you'll win." The arrogance in him was palpable.

Hiro smiled sweetly and held up one bill. "Five," he replied. Somebody snorted with laughter. A woman dressed in black and sporting several piercings collected the money from both fighters in a bowl. She regarded Hiro through half-closed eyes, as though she figured he was dead meat. His five bucks was pitifully small next to Bruce's thick wad of cash. She closed a lid over the money and stood between the two.

Hiro held his controller loosely in both hands and watched as Bruce punched a few buttons on his. The big robot stomped its feet in readiness, causing a wave of excitement in the crowd. Hiro's bot simply sat there.

"You know the drill," the woman drawled, moving to stand off to the side. "Get it started."

Bruce's robot lunged forward at once. For a heavy robot, it moved with surprising speed. With one punch, it sent Hiro's bot flying into the floor. The arms and legs popped off, clattering onto the linoleum. Bruce's bot leapt up again. It lifted both arms above its head, preparing to slam them down onto Hiro's dismembered robot.

"I don't think so," Hiro whispered. This was the move he'd been hoping Bruce would make. It made this battle very short; he'd raised his bot's arms, revealing the weak place underneath, where they attached. Brute force was not the way to go in this fight, as he was about to learn. Hiro's thumbs flew over his controls. His robot's limbs whirled around and rocketed at Bruce's robot faster than lightning. With the force of four bullets, they collided with the opponent's arms, right at the place where they connected with the body. A monstrous ripping noise sounded as the steel and circuits tore. Two loud bangs followed, as the robot's arms dropped off, completely severed. The robot was helpless without those big fists. The battle was over before it had barely begun.

Deafening, absolute silence fell over the room. Not a person moved.

"We're dead," Tadashi whispered worriedly.

Hiro bent to grab his robot before standing up. "Well," he began, noting the blank astonishment on Bruce's face, "that was fun." He collected his money and shoved it into his back pocket. Three hundred dollars. Now THAT was a nice win.

"Y—you... How... What...?" Bruce stuttered incoherently, looking from his fallen bot to Hiro and back again. He was not taking it well, apparently.

"Sorry, dude," Hiro said, shrugging. "Guess you couldn't take on the shrimp after all."

He might have pushed it too far that time. Bruce's brow lowered with the beginnings of outrage. He made it one step across the ring, mouth open to shout, when suddenly, the lights died out.

A couple people let out startled cries as darkness fell over the room. Feet shifted uncomfortably and anxious whispers rippled through the mob. The windows provided the only light, the bluish glow of the rising moon. It silhouetted the others around Hiro and turned them to mysterious forms in the dimness. Hiro hated that he was unable to see anything, not any threat from Bruce, or the others surrounding him. Tucking his robot and controller into his belt, he swallowed as some fear crept inside of him. He started backing up.

He bumped into someone behind him and jerked as fresh fear shot into his blood. Then a hand fell onto his shoulder reassuringly and he heard a familiar voice in his ear. "It's okay, it's me," Tadashi whispered. "But we have to get out of here, now."

Hiro relaxed, grateful for Tadashi's presence. "Yeah, okay," he agreed. "Where—?"

He was cut off by a familiar, blood-chilling sound: the rising wail of police sirens. They came from outside the hospital, but were coming closer every second. As the spectators began to panic around him, Hiro blew out a long breath and prepared to run. They were caught again. Unbelievable. He spun around and took hold of Tadashi's sleeve. "C'mon, nerd!" he shouted over the escalating clamor in the room. "We have to GO!" With that, he hauled Tadashi into the dark.

The crowd scattered with frantic yells. Some busted their way out of windows and others vanished deeper into the hospital. Hiro couldn't imagine going that route, so he stuck with the majority of the mob, galloping back down the hall toward the explosion hole. Feet pounded the floor and scared cries filled the blackness of the night. The eeriness of the abandoned hospital only added to the terrified, electric feeling of the moment. Hiro's fear was pushed down, however, by adrenaline. He'd run from cops many times before. The only differences here were the HALO hospital looming over him and the very attractive college boy running alongside him.

They burst out of the hole into the icy night air. The sky had turned to a deep, midnight blue overhead, studded with stars. The full moon shone down, illuminating the figures of Hiro, Tadashi, and the others as they dashed into the parking lot. Hiro's head swung from side to side as he searched for the source of those howling sirens. He glanced back just in time to glimpse the first two police cars screech into view beside the hospital and speed forward to drive alongside the fence ringing the parking lot. That was not good.

He peered ahead, frantic for the sight of Tadashi's scooter. There it was, sitting on the other side of the fence. Only a little bit farther and they would be safe. He glanced again at the police cars. They were racing along the fence now, ready to overtake them. The two boys threw themselves through the tear in the fence. "Go, go, go!" Hiro yelled.

They practically hurled themselves onto the scooter, making the whole thing tip to one side. Tadashi righted it again as fast as he could. Hiro gasped as the glow of headlights swung over them; the police cars had turned the corner and were coming straight for them. "Tadashi!"

"Hold on!" Tadashi shouted back. The engine roared to life beneath them and the scooter surged forward. Hiro scrambled to get a hold on Tadashi's jacket as they accelerated and bulleted down the street. They swerved abruptly into an alleyway, the buzz of the scooter bouncing off the walls on either side. The wind tore at their clothes and raked through Hiro's hair. From behind, the sounds of the ruined bot fight were gradually fading. Tadashi turned them around another corner and back out into an open street. They shot off into the night, going much faster than was permitted, Hiro was sure.

Heartbeat thudding against his ribs, Hiro let out an exhilarated burst of laughter. "That was sick!" he cried. "We were almost caught AGAIN!"

"And you're HAPPY about that?!" Tadashi demanded shakily. Clearly, he was not used to being in tense situations.

"Aw, come on, Tadashi!" Hiro urged. "You gotta admit that was kinda fun!"

"It was NOT FUN and I am NEVER going anywhere with you again!" Tadashi shot back.

Hiro laughed again, high on lingering adrenaline and the feel of Tadashi pressed against him once more. He adjusted his grip so that he could have both arms around Tadashi's waist instead of clinging to his jacket. The smell of leather and mint made his head spin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were starting to like bot fights," he teased.

"Oh, shut up," Tadashi snapped, but there was amusement in his voice now. "I was serious about not going anywhere with you anymore."

"That's a shame," Hiro remarked lightly. "I was starting to like having you around, nerd."

"Yeah, right," Tadashi scoffed, though he sounded pleased at Hiro's words.

Hiro grinned. This was shaping up to be a pretty great night, in his mind.

They turned a final corner and slowed down as they neared the cafe. It was comforting to see it standing where they'd left it, a nice home to go back to after a wild night with battling robots and police chases. Hiro felt a tiny prick at his heart. It wasn't HIS home to go to, he had to remember that. He'd be heading back to Lucille's. The thought of it reminded him of what had happened the other day; the bruise on his shoulder throbbed, as though a permanent mark of what went on inside Lucille's Home for Orphaned Children. He had hidden his secret well from Tadashi when Baymax had noticed the injury. He didn't want anyone's pity.

Tadashi stopped the scooter in front of the cafe and shut off the engine. Hiro climbed off and swept a hand over his wind-tousled hair. He glanced up. The moon was riding higher in the sky. He was definitely going to be late tonight and Lucille would not be happy. Stupid old owner. She never should've started an orphanage.

"So," Tadashi began, capturing Hiro's attention again, "magnetic-bearing servos, huh?"

Hiro sent him a sideways glance; Tadashi had his forearms against his handlebars, looking at Hiro through those gentle brown eyes. Hiro sighed. "Yeah. I gotta kill you now, though, because you know my secret."

"I was kinda expecting that, yeah," Tadashi replied.

"Nothing personal," Hiro told him loftily. "Just can't have you running around, telling everyone how to beat me. Because I bet you figured out how to already, college geek."

"'Geek' and 'nerd' are not my names, you know," Tadashi reminded him. He didn't sound like it bothered him all that much though.

Hiro brought out his dark smirk then. "I'll keep that in mind, Tadashi." He said the name as though it was important, as though it was something he wanted.

"Whatever," Tadashi mumbled, taking off his baseball cap to run his fingers through his hair. Hiro guessed it was something Tadashi did often when he was nervous or embarrassed.

"Why do you wear that all the time?" Hiro asked before he could think better of it.

Tadashi blinked. "What? This?" He raised the cap. "I dunno. I didn't even know people noticed it that much."

"I was just wondering," Hiro explained, pushing his hands casually into his pockets. Then he suddenly tore one hand out and swiped the cap from Tadashi's grasp. The whole motion was done before he could move to get it back.

"What the heck?" Tadashi asked, tossing his hands up in exasperation.

"Very nice," Hiro commented. He turned the cap around in his hands, thoroughly enjoying messing with Tadashi like this.

"Can I have it back?"

"Eh, I don't think so."

"You gotta be kidding me."

In reply, Hiro placed the cap on his own head. "Sorry," he replied. "Not gonna happen." It definitely wasn't gonna happen. He had no idea why Tadashi hid beneath this baseball cap. He was, well...he was stunning, his eyes deep and soft, and his short, spiked hair looking like it would feel like silk to the touch. Hiro almost shook his head to blow away these thoughts. What was he doing? Did he have THIS much of a crush on this guy?

Tadashi cracked a smile. "Okay, fine," he relented. "Take the hat. See if I care."

"Oh, you can have it back," Hiro decided. An idea had formed in his mind now. He flicked the cap's brim so that he could see better. "If you come to Lucille's tomorrow."

"No way."

"Why not?"

"You just got done telling me how crazy that place was today!"

"You are a wimp."

"No, I'm not." The look on Tadashi's face then, the softened look that meant he was going to give in to what Hiro wanted, caused the most insane idea in Hiro's mind.

Kiss Tadashi.

Pin him against his scooter and kiss him.

He swallowed and avoided the other boy's gaze, afraid that he might guess what Hiro was thinking.

And then, "fine. I'll be there. And you better have my hat."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, I'm back with another chapter! I'm so happy that you all like this so much! There's definitely some interesting things planned for the next few chapters, so I hope you like them too. I know this chapter might be a little hard to follow, but I wanted to do this little scene, so I did. Let me know what you think! :)

4

It was one o'clock in the freaking morning when Tadashi's cell phone started ringing like a screeching banshee in his room.

With a low groan, he buried his face into his pillow, but it was impossible to drown out the noise. Giving in, he fumbled around on his bedside table until he slapped his hand down on the phone. Sliding it to him, he didn't bother to check who it was before answering. "...hello?" he mumbled, muddled by sleep.

"HEYYY! TADASHI! WHAT'S UP?" It was Honey Lemon, the bubbly blonde girl that went to the same college as Tadashi. She was very interested in chemicals and high heels, two things that didn't tend to go every well together.

"Honey Lemon," Tadashi muttered, holding himself up on one elbow to peer at his digital clock. "It is...ONE O'CLOCK in the morning."

"I know!" Honey Lemon exclaimed. For some reason, this fact gave her a reason to celebrate. "But I HAD to call you. I couldn't wait."

Silence.

Tadashi rubbed his forehead, trying to coax the sleepiness from him. "Um, why couldn't you wait?" he asked confusedly.

"Because I heard that you have a BOYFRIEND!" she squealed.

Tadashi held the phone away from his ear and flopped his face down onto his pillow again. Great. Someone had told Honey Lemon about Hiro. He would never be able to talk to her again without being pummeled with questions. Exhaling loudly, he rolled over onto his back and spoke facing the ceiling. "Honey Lemon, who told you this?"

"Your Aunt Cass!" she answered. "I stopped by the cafe yesterday, but you weren't there, and she was, and I started talking to her, and she told me! It's just so cute!"

Aunt Cass. He should've known. "He's not my boyfriend," he told her, knowing that she wasn't going to listen to him. "He's a friend, who happens to be a boy."

She gave a snort of disbelief. "What, like Fred?"

"Well...no," Tadashi admitted. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" Honey Lemon knew she had him cornered.

"Okay, he's nothing like Fred," Tadashi said quickly. There was a bark of triumphant laughter from the phone. "But that doesn't mean anything!" He was only telling the truth, he told himself. Hiro WASN'T like Fred. Fred was blonde, and obsessed with comic book superheroes, and scatterbrained.

"Oh, I think it does mean something," Honey Lemon singsonged, snapping Tadashi back to the conversation. "I think you have a crush!"

"Oh brother."

"Tadashi and Hiro sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Honey Lemon!"

"Oh my gosh, that reminds me!" she gasped. "HAVE you guys kissed?!"

"What?! I—No!" Tadashi's face burned.

"Dang it!" she hissed, disappointed. Then her tone changed to something more suggestive. "But you're thinking about it now, aren't you?"

"Where do you come up with these things?" Tadashi demanded in a fierce whisper. He had suddenly remembered that Aunt Cass was still asleep. If he woke her now, in the middle of THIS, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Ooh, I bet you're imagining the whole thing right now," Honey Lemon went on relentlessly.

Tadashi pressed his palm to his forehead and dragged it down his face in frustration. "No. I'm not."

"Come on, just picture it: Hiro and you, at... Where's your favorite place?"

"I will hang up right now," he deadpanned.

"The lab, that's it! So. You and Hiro, at the lab, alone together..."

"I'm going to hang up."

"There's snow outside... Because you know, all romantic moments happen at Christmas. Anyway. He's staring into your eyes..."

"I'm hanging up."

"Wait, no, don't—"

Just then, a new, much louder voice joined the conversation, interrupting Honey Lemon. "HI, DUDE ON HONEY LEMON'S PHONE! JUST WALKED IN AND HEARD YOU ON SPEAKERPHONE! WHO ARE YOU?"

Tadashi wrenched his pillow out from under his head and smashed it over his face. This was not happening. This was NOT happening. He was not about to have this conversation with Honey Lemon and FRED. How screwed up was the universe, if it would make something like this happen to him? He reluctantly threw his pillow back down. "Honey Lemon, why didn't you tell me I was on speakerphone?" he asked quietly.

Fred's shout nearly blew Tadashi's eardrums out. "Is that TADASHI?"

"Sorry, Tadashi," Honey Lemon apologized. "I'm trying to finish an experiment right now and I put you on speakerphone so I could use both hands. I didn't know Fred would walk in..."

"Man, this is awesome!" Fred remarked gleefully. "What's it like over at the cafe on this glorious night, at...one-twenty-two in the morning?"

"It was quiet," Tadashi answered, heavily sarcastic.

"I know what you mean, dude. We're over at the lab right now and it's freaking spooky as heck. You should be here to see this weird thing Honey's doing."

"It's not weird!" Honey Lemon objected.

"Wait, did you two break into the lab in the middle of the night to WORK?" Tadashi asked.

"...sort of," she confessed uncomfortably.

"Well, I mean, I snuck in because I was bored," Fred added.

Tadashi knew then that he would never understand Honey Lemon's commitment to her chemistry. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

From the phone came an ominous thud, as though something heavy had been dropped to the floor. This was followed by a loud, horrible hissing. Then Honey Lemon's voice came again, a little fainter. "Oops. That's not good."

"No," Fred agreed. "No, it is not."

"What?" Tadashi asked nervously. "What happened?"

More clattering came then, and the hissing died down a bit. Fred explained, sounding disinterested. "Something weird with Honey Lemon's experiment thingy."

Honey Lemon yelled at him. "It's NOT weird! It's science! Tadashi, what were we talking about earlier? I forget!"

"I forget too," Tadashi answered quickly.

There was some movement on the other line and the hissing stopped completely. Apparently, she'd gotten her chemicals under control. "Never mind!" she chirped. "I remember now!"

"Dang it."

"What?" Fred asked. "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing," Tadashi insisted.

"Hiro!" Honey Lemon sang.

Tadashi retrieved his pillow and mashed it against his head again.

"Who's Hiro?" Fred asked.

"Tadashi's crush," Honey Lemon answered happily.

Tadashi snatched the pillow away to bring the phone to his mouth. "WHY WOULD YOU TELL HIM THAT?"

"...sorry."

Fred was unconcerned with the argument. "Whoa, you gotta crush? I thought you didn't do that sort of thing."

Honey Lemon and Tadashi both responded to that at the same time: "WHAT?"

"I dunno," Fred said. "Just thought of it that way."

"All right, I'm hanging up now," Tadashi decided. He had enough of all this and besides, he didn't want to be tired in the morning. He was going to be going to Lucille's after all, and he had no idea what to expect.

"What, no!" Fred complained.

"Aw, please don't," Honey Lemon put in.

"Too late!" Tadashi had made up his mind.

"Okay, fine," Fred relented. "I see how it is. See ya later, Tadashi!"

"Tell Hiro I said hi, and I hope you get married!" Honey Lemon piped up. "And kiss him already! It'd make my day! Bring him to meet us sometime!"

"GOODBYE HONEY LEMON." Tadashi hung up and set his phone back onto his bedside table. Then he breathed out a very long breath of exhaustion. He was never answering his phone at night again. Never. Thanks to Honey Lemon, he couldn't sleep, too busy thinking about mysterious chemistry projects and kissing Hiro.


	5. Chapter 5

5

The sun was steadily rising in a bright blue sky overhead as Tadashi left the cafe and turned left to begin walking down the sidewalk. The crisp, early-day air was starting to warm up now and it was looking like it was going to be a beautiful day. Lucille's Home for Orphaned Children wasn't too far of a walk from the cafe, so Tadashi left his scooter at home. He couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. He didn't know what to expect at Lucille's. There were bound to be lots of kids there he didn't know and after what Hiro had told him about them, he didn't think all of them were going to be incredibly friendly. He was going to have to deal with it the best he could, he supposed.

Not many people were out that day, so he reached Lucille's in no time at all. Out on the sidewalk, he hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jacket and gazed up at the building. It was a wide, three-story house, painted white with navy blue shutters. The front porch was large and its roof was supported by thick, white columns. Above the stately oak front door, the words Lucille's Home for Orphaned Children was printed in bold, sweeping letters on a sign. It seemed clean and tidy on the outside, simple, but in an elegant way. Tadashi liked it so far. He took the three steps leading onto the porch in two strides and crossed to the door. Mentally bracing himself for whatever was about to happen, he rang the doorbell.

There was a funny-sounding bang from inside, like something had fallen. Then a few shouts, all sounding as though they came from younger kids. Tadashi considered trying again when the door swung inward so fast, he thought it'd be thrown off the hinges. At first, he saw nothing but a gleaming hardwood floor and a hallway leading into what looked like a kitchen, judging from the stovetop visible in the doorway. There was another hall branching off to the left and to the right, a set of stairs hugged the wall and disappeared up into the depths of the house. All of it was very clean and shining. Then he glanced down to see who had opened the door.

He had to look down because it was a kid, a younger girl, twelve or thirteen maybe. She wore skinny jeans and rainbow-colored socks with a plain red T-shirt. Her golden hair was tied into a tight braid. She regarded him through bored, blue eyes, chewing a wad of bubblegum. "Can I help you?" she asked.

Tadashi wasn't sure where to start. "Hey," he greeted with a smile, his politeness and kindness toward others kicking in. "My name's Tadashi. I'm a friend of Hiro's. Maybe you know him...?"

The girl kicked at the floor with one socked foot. "Yeah, I know him," she said absently. "He's in big trouble right now with Lucille. She found out he was sneaking out to bot fights again."

So Hiro got caught. Maybe now, he'd finally quit breaking the law. "Do you know where he is now?" Tadashi asked hopefully.

The girl nodded. "He's in the kitchen with Raph and Damien," she answered, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the hallway behind her. She used the unfamiliar names as though Tadashi knew who she was talking about.

"Thanks," he smiled.

She studied him for a moment. "Are you the same Tadashi he's always blabbing about?" she asked. A hint of curiosity snuck into her words, despite her uncaring demeanor.

Tadashi's chest filled with a new tenderness for Hiro. "Yeah."

"Huh." She eyed him critically as she began to turn away. Her ice-colored eyes softened, just a bit. "He was right; you are kinda hot." Then she spun away and vanished around the corner.

Tadashi was speechless for several seconds, both from her statement and from what it implied that Hiro had said about him. He forced the goofy, lovestruck grin off his face and stepped over the threshold. Closing the door behind him, he took a few slow steps into the house. It really was immaculate, with its ivory walls and oaken furniture. The stairway went straight up for a couple yards before disappearing from view above. Tadashi longed to see what the rest of the house looked like on the upper floors, but didn't dare venture there alone. Instead, he headed straight ahead down the short hall that led to the kitchen. He emerged into chaos.

Two young boys, looking to be five or six, were throwing paper airplanes back and forth while racing to catch them. They were twins; both with short black hair and equally dark eyes. They laughed and yelled excitedly in their game. And from the sink, soap suds were flying EVERYWHERE. Three boys were attempting to do the dishes together. The first was a blonde, the third had a shaved head and dusky skin, and in the middle was Hiro himself. They were all ignoring the paper airplanes, pushing each other around, and splashing soapy water at each other's faces. The boy with the shaved head was dumping an obscene amount of dishwashing liquid into the sink and the bubbles were climbing higher and higher. The entire scene was an utter disaster, but they seemed to be enjoying it.

"Damien, watch it!" the blonde cried, noticing the soap overflowing in the sink.

The boy using up all the soap, Damien, grinned broadly, teeth flashing white. "You watch it, Raph!" he flashed back. "I'm about to flood this place!"

Raph (Tadashi assumed his full name was Raphael) scooped up a handful of bubbles and chucked them at Damien. "What, with soap?" he asked. "You can't flood a house with soap, moron!"

"Watch me!" Damien retorted, ducking to avoid being hit.

"Yeah, let him try," Hiro put in, giving Raphael a playful shove in the shoulder. "I wanna see Lucille's face when she walks in to see this."

Raphael pushed Hiro back. "She's gonna kill us, you know," he said, cracking a grin, but with a wobbly edge to it.

Hiro flashed that crooked smirk that Tadashi loved so much. "I'd like to see her try."

Suddenly, they all gave startled yelps as Damien unscrewed the cap of the dishwashing liquid and poured the whole thing into the sink. The bubbly mass of soap was a practically a mountain above their heads. They snickered deviously and went back to throwing soap at each other. Tadashi picked that moment to make his presence known. He stepped farther into the room. "Hiro?"

Hiro turned at his name, a half-grin caught on his lips and a few bubbles stuck in his hair. "What?" His mirth-clouded eyes cleared lightning-fast when he saw Tadashi. "Tadashi!"

Tadashi hung his thumbs in his jeans pockets and raised his eyebrows. "So this is what the Master Bot Fighter does in his free time," he remarked.

Hiro flushed in embarrassment. Tadashi enjoyed it immensely. He'd never seen the younger teen act so flustered. Hiro hastily brushed all the soap suds out of his hair. "I didn't know you were here," he explained awkwardly. "I thought you might come later...after I had time to finish this..."

Damien was staring at Tadashi with wide eyes. "THAT'S Tadashi?" he demanded Hiro. "Dude, that guy is taller than Lucille!"

Hiro acted like Damien hadn't said a word. "Hey, finish the dishes for me, okay?" he asked, leaving them while he spoke.

"What?!" Raphael yelped.

"Say what now?" Damien added in annoyance.

"Sorry guys," Hiro apologized, lifting his hand in farewell. "I'll make it up to you later. Promise."

Damien scoffed. "The promise of a bot fighter. I wonder how much I should trust THAT."

Hiro sniggered, clearly at ease with his friend's jokes. Then he snagged the sleeve of Tadashi's jacket and lightly steered him back down the hallway. He let go after only a few steps, much to Tadashi's disappointment. "Welcome to Lucille's House of Complete Madness," he stated as they walked. "Please feel free to run away screaming at any time."

"It doesn't seem that bad," Tadashi told him. "Your friends were nice enough."

"They're utterly insane," Hiro replied. Memories of old inside jokes and pranks glowed in his eyes. "You should've seen the spiders they put in Lucille's room the other night. They were THIS big." He held his palms about four inches apart.

"That's terrifying," Tadashi said, only half-joking. He could deal with bugs, no problem. But four-inch spiders? No.

"Don't worry, we got them all pretty fast," Hiro reassured him. Then he paused. "But then again, there's always a few that show up every now and then, so..." Oblivious to Tadashi's scared expression, Hiro turned out of the hall and started up the stairs. He made it up four steps before calling down to Tadashi. "Come on! I gotta give you your hat, remember?"

Tadashi followed, keeping one hand on the carved wooden banister. His shoes sounded unnaturally loud on the stairway compared to Hiro, who was wearing socks. As he walked, he gazed around him at the house again. The stairs led up to a long, wide hallway lined with doors. Again, everything on this floor had a clean shine to it. It must take hours to clean that house every day. Hiro led him to about halfway down the hall before halting at one of the doors. He grabbed the doorknob and gave Tadashi a sheepish glance. "This is my room," he said, and opened the door. Tadashi hesitated and then followed Hiro inside.

The room wasn't very spacious, but Tadashi supposed that might be because more space was taken up in this house by many other rooms. The walls in here were white, much like everywhere else, and a window at the back wall looked out over a busy street. To the left of that was a bed (it was made, surprising Tadashi because Hiro didn't seem so organized all the time). Against the right wall was a dresser, on top of which were scattered metal parts and tools. The magnetic battle bot was resting there as well, up against the wall. Overall, it was all very simple, but nice.

Hiro flopped down into the bed with a thump, swinging his legs over the side. He picked up Tadashi's baseball cap from the pillow and twirled it around on his finger. "Everybody was asking me where I got this the other day," he said, watching it spin around and around. "It was a little funny after a while." Then he changed the subject abruptly. "So who let you in? I know it wasn't Lucille because she had to go buy milk and you don't look mentally scarred."

Tadashi let his back rest against the wall and crossed one ankle over the other. "A girl," he answered, remembering her and her comments. "With blonde hair and blue eyes."

Hiro caught the cap to stop its spinning. "Was she wearing rainbow-socks?" he asked in a flat tone. At Tadashi's nod, he rolled his eyes. "That's Sarah. She annoys the crap out of all of us sometimes. Raph thinks she wants attention. I think she's nuts."

"She did mention something...strange," Tadashi replied. He tried to act casual and catch Hiro's interest.

Hiro cocked his head. "What?"

"She told me you talked about me a lot," Tadashi said. The fondness that entered his voice was beyond his control. He was happy to think that Hiro talked about him.

"Oh." Hiro cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well...uh...yeah." He looked up and their eyes locked. The feeling in the room switched to something tense. Then he stood and broke eye contact. "You want your hat back, or what?" he asked, holding the cap out to Tadashi.

Tadashi took it, still shaken from whatever had passed between them. "Thanks," he mumbled, wishing the moment hadn't ended so soon. To clear his thoughts, he went back to examining Hiro's room. "You said you lived here since you were three," he began. "What was that like?"

"I was really young so I got used to it here pretty fast," Hiro told him. He crossed his arms and thought back to his earliest days at the orphanage. "Lucille was really strict though and she still is. She makes us work a lot around the house, and her punishments are...harsh. But at least she gave us a home, I guess."

"What happened to your parents? If you don't mind me asking," Tadashi went on quickly. He didn't want to pressure Hiro.

Hiro shrugged, like it didn't matter. "They died in a car crash," he replied. "I don't remember it. My aunt and uncle dropped me off here. I've been living here ever since."

"I'm sorry," Tadashi murmured. "About your parents, I mean."

"It's fine." Hiro was quiet for a long moment. The room felt empty without words filling the air. It was a warm place, but only when people were talking to keep the silence away. In a big house like this, silence became unbearable. Just when THIS silence was about to become unbearable, Hiro broke it again. His voice was uncharacteristically hollow.

"They didn't want me."

Tadashi wasn't sure what Hiro meant, but his heart gave a painful twist all the same. "What do you mean?" he asked gently.

Hiro's gaze was trained on the floor. "My aunt and uncle," he said. "They didn't want me. They just left me here and drove away. They were some of the only family I had left and they just...let me go. I mean, they could've called other people, right?" He looked up then, almost like he was pleading, though there was no emotion in his face. "I had grandparents, and cousins. I had a family. But no one cared. No one came. No one...no one wanted me." He nudged at the floor with his toe. "They still don't. After thirteen years, they still don't."

The sorrow brimming in Tadashi's chest threatened to swamp him. How could anyone do this to Hiro? How could anyone leave someone so sweet, intelligent, and brilliant in an orphanage with strangers? It sickened him. His instincts to help, to care for other people, were overwhelming him. It couldn't be possible that no one in this world cared for Hiro. It couldn't. An awful rush of affection hit him then and nearly floored him with its intensity. It wasn't right that no one wanted Hiro, not when Tadashi needed him so much.

Just then, without any warning and without thinking at all, Tadashi strode across the room and backed Hiro into a wall. The younger boy did nothing to stop him; his fast intake of breath was the only sign that he was taken off-guard, as Tadashi braced his hands on either side of Hiro's head. Their sudden closeness snapped something in Tadashi's mind, bringing him back to his senses. He realized what he was doing and drew back an inch.

"I... Sorry," he stammered automatically. He wanted to breathe normally, but Hiro was so close and dear God, he smelled addictive, like sweet cinnamon. Tadashi backed up even more to give Hiro space. "I—I didn't know what I was—"

"Tadashi," Hiro cut him off. Tadashi glanced up, but had no time to react as Hiro fisted a hand in his shirt and dragged him into a kiss.

Tadashi's mind blanked.

Hiro was kissing him. Hiro was KISSING HIM. In the back of his head, he reminded himself that this was their first kiss, that he didn't want to take it too far, not with Hiro. He tried to keep it short and chaste, but Hiro had other ideas. When Tadashi began to break the kiss, Hiro tightened his grip on Tadashi's shirt and nipped his bottom lip. It was unlike anything Tadashi had ever felt and he shocked himself with the soft groan that escaped his throat. He kissed Hiro harder, his forearms against the wall, letting it support his weight. Hiro's hands threaded through his hair, making his pulse skip. All sense left him and his hand dropped to Hiro's neck, thumb stroking over the other boy's skin. Hiro's gasp only made Tadashi want him more.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approaching from the hallway made them hurriedly jump apart. Their breathing was heavy, cheeks flushed and eyes unfocused. Tadashi felt as though electricity was burning in every part of his body. His thoughts were a scrambled mess. Never had he imagined that kissing Hiro would be like that. Hiro muttered under his breath and hurried across the room. He kicked the door shut before whoever was outside could see them. Then he turned around and fell against it with a long exhalation. "God."

Tadashi picked his baseball cap up off the floor, where he'd dropped it, and shyly put it back on. "I... Yeah," he stuttered. "Yeah, that was...interesting."

Hiro's mouth curved, holding back a laugh. "That's one word for it," he replied simply. His smile grew, almost his devilish smirk.

Tadashi ached at the sight of that smile. He took a deep breath. "Listen, if—if I was too forward, I'm sorry," he blurted out. He was terrified that he'd damaged their friendship somehow, pushed it too far. "I understand, trust me. I shouldn't have expected..." he trailed off, unsure of what he was trying to say.

Hiro chuckled, shaking his head. When he looked at Tadashi with his beautiful brown eyes, Tadashi was sure his heart stopped. "Tadashi, just...c'mere."

Tadashi smiled bashfully, unable to meet Hiro's gaze as he stepped closer. When he was a foot away, however, Hiro grabbed his jacket and pushed the baseball cap off to kiss him again. This kiss was deeper than the last, filled with more emotion. Tadashi gave in to it at once, curling his fingers into Hiro's shirt to tug him closer. It wasn't as long as their first kiss, but it still left him trembling when they broke apart. Their foreheads touched and there was nothing but quiet all around them.

"Well. For a nerd," Hiro murmured, with a trace of mischief, "you're one heck of a kisser."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews guys! Glad you're enjoying the story. Here's the next chapter :)**

**6**

As soon as Hiro took his seat at the massive oak dining table that night, he was bombarded with questions and exclamations.

"So, what happened?"

"Did he ask you out?"

"Dude, he's freaking TALL."

"Dang, Hiro, he's HOT."

"What's his name again?"

"Like, seriously HOT."

"Just tell me what happened!"

Hiro kept his silence carefully, not wanting to speak of what had happened and ruin its perfection. Because it was perfect, and incredible, and wonderful, and like everything inside of him had come alive. He wasn't going to use mere words to describe the way he'd felt with Tadashi. Plus, he enjoyed watching his friends, particularly the girls (who loved romance of any kind), squirm and demand answers from him. Answers he was definitely keeping to himself.

Sarah, who was sitting across from him, casually brushed hair out of her eyes and asked, "so, did he kiss you?"

Well that ruined it. Because Hiro couldn't stop the dopey smile that rose on his face.

Everybody exploded into "ewwwws" and "awwwws" and more questions about the specifics of said kiss. Hiro knew he was turning bright red and it annoyed him because he'd always been so confident before and now he was this mess that Tadashi has turned him into. Then Sarah stuck her hand in the air for silence. "WAIT A MINUTE PEOPLE!" she hollered. "He didn't answer the question yet. Hiro?" She looked at him, the trace of a knowing smile on her lips.

"Yes?" Hiro asked innocently.

"Did Tadashi kiss you?"

Everyone was quiet and bubbly, waiting for his answer. Several girls giggled to each other. Damian and Raphael undoubtedly had several teasing words prepared. At last, Hiro sighed in defeat. "...maybe," he relented noncommittally.

They all burst into the same conversation as before. Hiro took it without complaint, because he was too full of happiness to care about what they said. He suspected that all his giddiness was because the whole thing had been so unexpected. He'd thought of Tadashi as a quiet, caring person, someone who would be afraid to risk hurting people in any way. It had taken him completely by surprise when Tadashi had had the guts to shove him up against a wall. Every time he thought of it, of Tadashi's mouth on his, finally, of their bodies pressed together, it sent his heart pinwheeling in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to relive that memory and to be with Tadashi always.

And to kiss him again, and again, and again.

-o-o-o-

The cafe was bright and warm, filled with quite a few people. Aunt Cass was scurrying back and forth behind the counter, acting frazzled, even though she secretly loved having such a crowd. The smell of coffee and pastries was in the air, sweet and wonderful. There was also a buzz of conversation and the occasional laugh from the customers. It was a welcome sight to Hiro when he walked in that day. Hands in his pockets, he weaved around the tables until he was right in front of the counter. He was about to say hi and get her attention when the menu caught his eye. He'd intended to come here just to see Tadashi but hot chocolate did sound good...

"HIRO!" The loud squeal came from Aunt Cass, of course. She was up and around the counter before Hiro could move, a bounce in her step. She clapped her hands happily before startling him by pulling him into a quick hug. "I am so happy to see you, dear! How're you doing? Are you here to see Tadashi? I hope you are." She beamed at him with such glee that he had no choice but to smile back. Her energy was contagious in this quaint little cafe.

"Uh, I'm doing fine," Hiro answered. "And yeah, actually, I'm here to see Tadashi."

"That's just wonderful!" she exclaimed warmly. "He's been working on Baymax for the past two hours and I think he'd welcome a bit of a distraction."

Distraction, huh? Hiro could think of a few ways to distract Tadashi easily. "Is he up in his room?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, he's always working up there."

"Thanks. Oh, and..." He broke off to dig around in his pocket until he found a few dollar bills and pulled them out. "Can I have a hot chocolate, please?" Because, come on. No one would resist hot chocolate.

Aunt Cass was even happier, if possible. "Coming right up!"

Two minutes later, Hiro was halfway upstairs with a steaming styrofoam cup in his hands. He thought about trying to drink it once or twice, but decided he'd rather not get third degree burns. At the top of the stairs, he turned into what he knew to be Tadashi's room, then stopped. There was Tadashi, bent over his desk and what looked to be Baymax's arm, or at least the skeleton of it. He was busy examining a piece that had come loose. Notes were spread out around him. He looked like he'd been doing this all day and hadn't bothered to care about anything else; he wore gray sweatpants and a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was spiked, as usual, but had an untidy, tousled appearance to it. His mocha-brown eyes were shadowed with concentration, head cocked as he worked.

Hiro realized then what many of the kids back at the orphanage had realized already: Tadashi was kinda hot.

Hiro leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and watched Tadashi for a few seconds more. Then he spoke. "What in god's name are you doing to Baymax?"

Tadashi jumped a little and looked up. A heart-melting grin quirked his lips and sent butterflies into Hiro's stomach. "You know, most people say 'hi' when they show up instead of scaring the crap out of someone," he pointed out.

"Hi," Hiro said jokingly.

"Shut up."

"Make me." It was a challenge and Hiro knew it. Tadashi just looked at him and Hiro smirked daringly. He saw the flicker of want in Tadashi's eyes and it sent shivers down his spine. Then it was gone and Tadashi was all business again. Dang it, this was going to be harder than Hiro thought.

"This...is IMPOSSIBLE," Tadashi groaned, pressing his forehead against his desk. "I can't figure out what went wrong."

Hiro took a tentative sip of his hot chocolate (and just about burned his tongue off). "What do you mean? I thought Baymax was done already."

"He was, but then his arm started acting up," Tadashi explained. "It doesn't work. Something's wrong but I can't figure out what it is." He didn't lift his head off the desk.

"Lemme see," Hiro suggested. He set his cup down on the bedside table and made his way over to the desk. Instead of getting another chair, he plopped down onto Tadashi's. Tadashi moved to make room, but their shoulders and thighs still touched. Hiro could feel his body heat. He studied the remains of Baymax's arm with a careful gaze. There was obviously one piece that wouldn't fit onto another anymore, but there weren't any problems that he could see. This was interesting. He hadn't experienced a part on a robot that just randomly stopped working for no reason and this intrigued him. "What's his skeleton made out of again?" he asked absently, touching the cool metal.

"Carbon fiber," Tadashi answered at once.

"Why not titanium?" Hiro asked, just to be able to talk.

"Not as light."

"So?"

Tadashi had one hand under his chin, propping his head up with his elbow on the desk. He gave Hiro a withering glance. "What d'you mean, 'so?'" he asked, sounding so...not-Tadashi that Hiro wanted to laugh. "It's lighter, so it's a better choice."

Hiro rested his back against the chair. "Lighter doesn't mean better," he argued.

"He's a health care robot," Tadashi reminded him. "He might be helping elderly people."

"When is an elderly person ever going to try and PICK UP Baymax?"

"I dunno! Probably never! But it's—it's... I just... He's..." He dragged his hands down his face, giving up. "It's just better!" He threw his hands up in frustration. Then he noticed Hiro cracking up.

"You're hilarious," Hiro chortled, enjoying making Tadashi squirm when he was trying to be serious and work.

"You're an idiot," Tadashi muttered, and gave Hiro a shove. There was a glint of teasing in his eyes though.

"Hey!" Hiro shoved him back. "At least I didn't call YOU an idiot!"

"Doesn't matter. You are one. And stop pushing me." Tadashi pushed him again, nearly sending him toppling off the chair.

"You started it!"

"That's a lie. You're still an idiot."

"You're the idiot!"

"Am not!"

Hiro pushed Tadashi again, harder. They were both fighting for space on the chair, holding back laughter as they teased each other like a couple of little kids. Tadashi, grinning now, went to shove Hiro again. Instead of pushing back, Hiro hooked two fingers into Tadashi's neckline and kissed him.

He felt the shape of Tadashi's grin before the older teen began to kiss him back. It was like before, warm and so soft. Tadashi was so careful with him, so chaste. His hands were barely touching Hiro when they circled around his waist. It made Hiro ache for more. He broke the kiss when Tadashi drew back, but only to trail his mouth along the other boy's jaw. Bold, he kissed down Tadashi's neck and heard a shaky gasp. It woke up something inside of him.

He knotted his fingers in the front of Tadashi's shirt and dragged him from the chair. He felt Tadashi's hands in his jacket, gliding up and down his back. Nearly delirious, he pushed Tadashi back onto his bed. His hands slid down Tadashi's chest, his stomach, his fingers brushing bare skin above his waistband. Tadashi let out a whimper of pleasure, and damn, Hiro couldn't remember the last time something had turned him on like that.

Suddenly, a friendly, monotone voice filled the room. "My sensors indicate that both of your heart rates have increased significantly." Tadashi and Hiro broke apart and glanced up. Baymax. That plushy robot looked funny with only one arm and a confused tilt to his head as he searched for a source to this problem. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Hiro answered pleasantly, still stretched out on top of Tadashi. He switched his gaze to Tadashi now, and smirked suggestively. "There IS something wrong, actually. Tadashi's not shirtless yet."

"SHUT UP," Tadashi growled, blushing crimson. But he didn't let go of Hiro.

"Sorry, Baymax," Hiro apologized, not sorry at all. "According to your master here, there is no problem." At the word "master," he tugged lightly on Tadashi's waistband.

Baymax still didn't leave. "Now Tadashi's heart rate is rising significantly," he observed.

"Oh, really? Wonder why."

"We are satisfied with your care!" Tadashi blurted out, because it was the only way to get Baymax to stop talking. The robot obediently shuffled back to its charging station and deflated with a long wheeze. In the quiet that followed, Hiro grinned triumphantly down at Tadashi. Tadashi glowered at him. "You're a moron," he stated.

"What—?" Hiro was cut off as Tadashi abruptly flipped them over, pressing Hiro into the mattress. Hiro struggled to keep his breathing under control as Tadashi leaned down and kissed him briefly. Then he nuzzled Hiro's neck with such tenderness it stole Hiro's breath from him. "Hiro..." Tadashi murmured, speaking his name in a way that made Hiro melt in his arms. Then Tadashi sighed. "I really hate you sometimes, you know that?"

"Of course," Hiro replied smoothly. "It's so great that you're stuck with me now, isn't it?"


	7. Chapter 7

7

Lucille had found out.

Really, it was only a matter of time.

But Hiro had thought he'd have more time than this.

Lucille, a big, formidable woman, with jet-black hair wound into a ponytail down her back and equally black eyes, was standing in Hiro's doorway. There was disapproval and disgust in her eyes.

There's one thing you have to realize before the story goes on and that's this: most people at the orphanage and in Hiro's life were completely fine with homosexual relationships. They could've cared less who people chose to fall for. Lucille was not one of those people.

She curled her lip threateningly and said it. "You're not permitted to see him anymore, do you understand?"

Hiro, lazily sprawled on his bed, knew how stupid it was to argue. The old bruise on his shoulder still ached sometimes. But he set his jaw stubbornly anyway. "No," he said.

She blanched. "What did you say to me?"

"I said, no. I'm going to keep seeing him."

She pointed her finger at him, clawlike nails glistening and scarlet. "I did not raise you like this," she hissed. "I thought I taught you better than...than THIS. You will NOT see him again or there will be consequences, for both of you."

"Leave him out of this," Hiro growled. She could do what she wanted to him but there was no way in hell he was letting her hurt Tadashi. He'd been foolish to drag Tadashi into his life, foolish to fall for someone so sweet and kind, who wouldn't last a day in Hiro's world. But he was too selfish; he couldn't let Tadashi go.

Lucille's eyes were like knife points in him. "Say that you won't see him again," she ordered icily.

"No."

"Hiro."

"No."

She stared at him for a long moment. Then she shook her head. "I can't believe this. I can't believe that you would insist to go against me, after all I've done for you." Her gaze darkened. "You'll thank me someday, when you realize that I only wanted to help you. I don't like punishing you, Hiro. But until you put an end to this...thing you have with him, I have no other choice." She shut the door behind her, so that the other kids wouldn't witness another beating, one of many that had happened in this seemingly-perfect house.

Hiro swore to himself that he wouldn't cry out in pain this time.

He refused to give her the satisfaction.

-o-o-o-

Tadashi didn't know how late it was when Aunt Cass woke him up. All he knew was that one second, he'd been fast asleep and the next, she was gently shaking his shoulders. He forced his eyes open and squinted blearily up at her. "Aunt Cass...?"

Aunt Cass's eyes were wide in the darkness, brimming with worry and something else, an emotion that sent ice into his veins. "I think you should come downstairs, honey," she murmured, trying and failing to hide the strange sadness in her voice. "I know it's late, but..."

"What? What's wrong?" Tadashi pushed himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I... Hiro's here. He showed up a little bit ago. I don't know what... I think you need to see him."

Tadashi was instantly alert. Hiro was here? In the middle of the night? It didn't make any sense. "I'll be down in a minute," he said.

Aunt Cass smiled a wobbly, encouraging smile and left the room. Tadashi clambered out of bed and hastily pulled on an old white T-shirt and sweatpants before trailing after her down the stairs. At the bottom, she pointed in the direction of the living room and went into the kitchen to leave them alone. Tadashi slowly stepped inside, unsure of what to expect.

The room was dim, because only the glow of the TV illuminated the walls. The volume was low though. On the couch against the opposite wall was Hiro. He was wearing jeans and a red, long-sleeved shirt, looking like he'd just thrown them on. His hair was still tousled, but his normally-bright brown eyes were dull. He was leaning back with his arms wrapped around himself. He looked miserable. His gaze flicked up when Tadashi came in. Pain flashed across his expression before vanishing quickly.

"Hey," Tadashi said, not knowing what else to say. He walked over and sat down next to Hiro, a few inches between them. The other boy didn't move. "You okay?"

Hiro shook his head.

Tadashi's stomach dropped. "What happened?" he asked, instinctively reaching out to touch Hiro's shoulder.

To his surprise, Hiro flinched away from him. "Don't," Hiro mumbled. "I can't—I'm not supposed to...be with you anymore."

Tadashi stared at him. "What?"

"It's Lucille," Hiro told him quietly. "She told me I can't see you anymore. She thinks it's wrong."

Lucille. Tadashi had never met her, even when he visited the orphanage, but he'd assumed that she wouldn't care about his relationship with Hiro. Suddenly, a new thought occurred to him. His heart stopped. "Hiro, are you breaking up with me?"

Hiro looked at him then, and for an instant, he seemed like he was gathering his courage, like he was going to say yes and end it. But then he deflated, leaning over and burying his face in the curve between Tadashi's neck and shoulder. He shook his head. "I can't," he mumbled brokenly.

Tadashi's heart broke. What had Lucille done, to reduce Hiro to this? "It's okay," he murmured, wrapping an arm around Hiro and pulling him close. "It's okay. I don't care what she says. If you need me, I'll be here." He kissed Hiro's hair and his hand moved soothingly up the younger boy's back.

When he reached a place just beneath Hiro's left shoulder blade, however, Hiro gasped in pain. Tadashi drew back, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

Hiro gritted his teeth. "Nothing."

Tadashi recognized that stubborn look though. "Let me see," he said.

"It's nothing," Hiro insisted, pushing away from him.

"I can call Baymax down here," Tadashi warned. Hiro glared at him, but obediently turned so that his back was facing Tadashi. Sighing in defeat, he lifted his shirt until it could hang around his neck. Tadashi felt his eyes widen. Hiro was small, but leanly strong for his age. He wasn't heavily muscled, but he was still healthy, even athletic-looking. But that wasn't what caught Tadashi's attention. A nasty, awful bruise had formed on Hiro's back, beneath his shoulder blade. It was ugly and painful-looking. It left Tadashi stunned. Had Lucille done this? Hesitantly, he traced his fingers down Hiro's back, lightly touching the discolored skin of the injury. Hiro sucked in a hissing breath, but stayed as still as possible.

"Did she do this to you?" Tadashi asked, praying that it wasn't true, because if anything would break him it would be this.

Hiro didn't move. Then his shoulders slumped and he nodded.

Tadashi felt a twist of sorrow in his chest. He looked at the bruise again, his fingertips staying at the edge of it so that he wouldn't hurt Hiro again. Lucille had done this. She had...beaten...Hiro. It was unacceptable. It was sick. Tadashi hated her for it. But at the same time, he couldn't help thinking that all of Hiro's pain would go away if Tadashi let him go. If Tadashi left him, Hiro would be safer. He wouldn't be punished.

"Hiro," he began quietly. "Maybe we shouldn't—"

He was cut off abruptly as Hiro turned and kissed him, a brief, hard kiss. When they broke apart, Hiro pressed his face into Tadashi's shoulder again. "I can't leave you," he muttered. "I know that I should, that I can't be selfish and you don't deserve a wreck like me, but I can't do it. I need you."

Tadashi felt his chest fill with joy. Hiro needed him. He hugged Hiro close, avoiding the bruise, and breathed in that lovely smell of cinnamon. "I won't let you go," he murmured. "I promise. We'll find some way to get through this, okay? I'm here. I'm right here."

Hiro rubbed his cheek against Tadashi's chest. "I know," he said quietly. Then he pulled away, freeing his arms to tug his shirt back on. The trace of his old, confident smile tugged at his lips. "Hey, you got lucky tonight, nerd; got to see me shirtless."

Tadashi scrubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, because he had been noticing Hiro earlier. "You're way too cocky, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Hiro replied, unbothered. He still froze, however, when Tadashi suddenly pressed his palm to the small of Hiro's back, stopping him with his shirt halfway up his torso.

Tadashi leaned forward, noting the way that Hiro's eyes fogged over with desire, and touched a gentle, teasing kiss to Hiro's jaw. He meant it to be short, but the feel of Hiro's skin tempted him. He lingered there, his mouth moving slowly back to Hiro's ear. Hiro had never lost control when with Tadashi before, but now a soft sound of pleasure escaped from him and he tilted his head slightly to give Tadashi better access. Tadashi grinned, and pulled back again, giving Hiro a knowing look with raised eyebrows.

"What're you staring at?" Hiro asked, tugging his shirt back down all the way. He refused to meet Tadashi's gaze though.


End file.
